Dark Star by Roslyn Holcomb Page B

and usually woke early to write for four or five hours. This
morning was much the same. After completing her word count in for
the day she’d read with Nate for much of the morning, now she was
going through his extensive DVD collection.
    Nate looked up from his book. “When you don’t
have cable or internet you tend to buy a lot of DVDs. I’m not here
much and try to spend most of my time outdoors, but I have been
here during the wet before and know to be prepared.”
    “The wet, what’s that?”
    “Monsoon season. Happens around December or
so, pretty much rains every day.”
    “Like this?” She gestured toward the roof
where they could hear the rain pouring down steadily against the
palm frond thatch. He nodded. “Damn, I’m surprised anything is
left.”
    “The people here know how to build for it;
the thatching is lightweight but twisted together. It tends to shed
water in a way more conventional roofs would not,” he said.
    “Hmmm, that’s interesting.” She returned to
studying his movies. “You have a lot of Hitchcock,” she mused. “You
feel like a marathon? Perfect day for some popcorn and movies.
You’ve got several I haven’t seen.”
    “As you wish, little sister, besides I’d
never turn down a Hitchcock marathon. I’ll make the popcorn, you
pick out some movies.” Before long they were comfortably ensconced
on the sofa sharing a bowl of popcorn. Hitchcock was her favorite
director and she was quickly caught up in the psychological
thriller. When the popcorn was gone she didn’t bother to move. She
had to admit she enjoyed being so close to Nate. His warm, familiar
presence soothed the restlessness that had plagued her since their
arrival on the island. Back when they were lovers they’d spent many
Saturday afternoons this way: studying, watching movies or
football. The memories should have been enough to drive her away,
but she felt so comfortable it hardly seemed worth the effort.
Before long his soothing presence allowed her to drift off to
sleep.
     
    Tonya awakened slowly, disconcerted for a
moment as she didn’t know where she was. It took a while to realize
that her head was in Nate’s lap and she was sprawled out
perpendicular to where he was seated on the sofa. As she watched
him stretch and yawn it was obvious that he’d just awakened as well
and was equally surprised by their positions. He raised one hand to
her cheek and stroked it softly. Tonya placed her hand over his to
move it away but forgot what she was doing as her eyes locked with
his. The soft, loving expression on his face melted all her good
intentions away in a flash. Self-preservation gave her the instinct
to lever herself up to move from his lap, but he moved his hand to
hold her head in place for his kiss. When he leaned down she moved
to meet him halfway. Despite the overwhelming emotions roiling
inside her the first kiss was soft, exploratory, but in a split
second it flamed into an inferno.
    She grabbed Nate’s shoulders, pressing
against him eagerly as their mouths fused together. He sucked on
her tongue as though he could never get enough and she cried out as
her body clenched with desire. Before she knew it she was beneath
him on the sofa writhing with need, begging to feel him deep inside
her. And he was begging too: “S’il te plaît. S’il te plaît.” He pleaded over and over again. Then more desperate words she
didn’t understand. She slid her hands under his loose-fitting
t-shirt stroking the heated skin as his teeth sank into the
sensitive flesh at the base of her throat. She sought his lips,
wanting needing to absorb as much of him as possible. She stroked
the inside of his mouth with her tongue causing him to cry out
again: “Je t’aime.”
    She remembered that one and it was like being
doused with ice water. Before she had a chance to reconsider her
actions she shoved him to the floor and sprang to her feet. She
stood over him, panting, trying to get a grip on her anger and the
lust